Girls basketball season preview: Who is stepping up to Clackamas in the Mt. Hood Conference?
No. 5 UCLA snaps No. 1 South Carolina's 43-game win streak
Newcastle's winning run in the English Premier League came to an abrupt end when goals from Tomas Soucek and Aaron Wan-Bissaka gave West Ham a surprise 2-0 win at St James' Park. The Hammers rose into 14th place and the pressure on coach Julen Lopetegui was eased. The London club have been inconsistent all season and the win on Monday (Tuesday AEDT) was just their fourth in 12 league games. West Ham deserved the win, but the three points came courtesy of slack defending by the home side. Emerson whipped in an outswinging corner after 10 minutes and, with Newcastle defenders rooted to the spot, Soucek stole in to nod home the opener. Eight minutes into the second half, captain Jarrod Bowen found Wan-Bissaka in the penalty box and he was left unchallenged and had time to fire an angled drive past Nick Pope. "The second goal ... if you settle on a lead it can come back to haunt you," Bowen said. Newcastle brought on Harvey Barnes, then Callum Wilson returned from a long-term back injury to make his first appearance of the season but to no avail. "I said we needed a performance, and we did that," Bowen said. "Newcastle always score at home, so to keep them to a clean sheet and score twice ... it's a tough place to come to. We did that perfectly." The defeat ended a three-game winning streak for Newcastle and left the Saudi Arabia-owned club in ninth place, four points outside the top four.Woman defended after refusing to pay for mother-in-law’s phone after toddler broke itStealth destroyer to be home for 1st hypersonic weapon on a US warship
University professors across the political spectrum in Texas are preemptively self-censoring themselves for fear of damaging their reputations or losing their jobs, according to a new survey from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a First Amendment advocacy group. More than 6,200 professors from across the country responded to the survey on the climate of free speech and academic freedom on their campuses, one of the largest surveys of its kind, according to FIRE. Respondents included more than 165 professors at Texas A&M University, more than 200 at the University of Texas at Austin and nearly 50 at the University of Texas at Dallas. According to survey results, 35% of all respondents said they recently toned down their writing for fear of controversy and 27% felt unable to speak freely for fear of how students or administrators might respond. Nearly a quarter of faculty worry about losing their jobs over a misunderstanding. The worries were higher among faculty at Texas universities. At UT-Austin, more than half of the faculty respondents said they occasionally or often do not share their opinions because they worry how others might respond. Nearly half of faculty respondents at UT-Dallas said they had toned down their writing to avoid pushback. “Faculty are not conflating self-censorship with being polite or professional — that would be categorically different,” the report stated. “Rather, consistent proportions of faculty report that they are likely to refrain from sharing their views in various professional and conversational contexts for fear of social, professional, legal, or violent consequences.” FIRE said this climate is unsustainable for higher education. “The academy needs courageous faculty who are not afraid to research, write about, or teach topics that some may shy away from because they are labeled as controversial — to ask and investigate unasked and unanswered questions,” the report concludes. “And the academy needs more faculty who are not afraid to support colleagues who themselves are afraid, or who have been targeted and have come under fire for their speech or academic endeavors. Consistent support from institutional administrations would not hurt either.” According to the report, one faculty member at Texas A&M said they are actively avoiding aspects of the job due to the climate on campus. “I am starting (for the first time in my career) to censor myself out of a desire for self-preservation,” the faculty member told FIRE. “I say nothing at all in faculty meetings now, if I attend at all.” A UT-Austin professor said they feel pressure to conceal certain opinions. “The atmosphere in certain academic units can be cult-like and fascistic and I really feel I have to pick my battles,” the professor said. The report highlighted an incident at Texas A&M last year in which the school watered down a job offer to Kathleen McElroy, a Black journalism professor, after the Board of Regents and alumni groups criticized her previous employers, her diversity, equity and inclusion work and her research on race. McElroy decided to decline the offer and stay at her current job at UT-Austin after an A&M administrator told her he could not protect her if the regents wanted to terminate her. The Texas A&M System paid her a $1 million settlement after acknowledging mistakes were made during the hiring process. FIRE’s survey found self-censorship was more prevalent among conservative faculty. Around 55% of faculty who identified themselves as conservative reported they self-censor, compared to 17% of faculty who said they were liberal. The survey also found that faculty are more likely to be skeptical of conservative peers, indicating in the survey that a conservative faculty member would be a poor fit in their department. Two-thirds of respondents said universities should not take positions on political and social issues. That number was higher in Texas. Around 70% of the faculty respondents at Texas A&M, UT-Austin and UT-Dallas supported institutional neutrality. Earlier this year, the University of Texas System Board of Regents adopted an institutional neutrality policy after UT-Austin became ground zero in Texas for clashes over the Israel-Hamas war. Around 70% of survey respondents said the conflict was the most difficult issue to discuss on the flagship campus, along with racial inequality and transgender rights. At Texas A&M, the three most difficult issues for faculty to discuss on campus were racial inequality, trans rights and abortion. Overall, half of the faculty who responded to the survey said it is rarely or never justified to require job candidates to submit diversity statements, written statements in which job seekers explain how they might support diversity, equity and inclusion efforts if hired. Last legislative session, Texas lawmakers banned diversity statements at public colleges and universities as part of Senate Bill 17, the law that eliminated diversity, equity and inclusion offices on campuses. Many survey respondents said they don’t believe administrators at their universities will push back against governing boards or politicians to protect free speech on campus. At Texas A&M, 45% of respondents felt academic freedom — the longstanding principle that protects faculty’s ability to pursue teaching and research activities without political interference — was somewhat secure on campus. More than a third of respondents said they’re not sure A&M administrators would protect free speech on campus. Last year, Texas A&M University System leaders directed the school to put a professor on paid administrative leave after a well-connected student complained that the professor allegedly criticized Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick during a lecture. Text messages showed Texas A&M System Chancellor John Sharp directed the system’s flagship university to put the professor on paid administrative leave while school officials investigated the complaint. He also updated the lieutenant governor on the status of the investigation, which eventually found that the complaint was unsubstantiated. Faculty said the incident created a chilling effect on campus. FIRE’s survey comes as Texas faculty are gearing up for another legislative session in which they expect Republican lawmakers to try and curtail their power on campus. Patrick has asked lawmakers to limit the influence on campuses of faculty senates, which provide input on their universities’ curriculum and hiring decisions.The second annual Las Vegas Grand Prix brought over 300,000 F1 fans to Sin City this weekend, but not everyone paid for a ticket. Some crafty spectators found a free and creative way to watch the race by riding an escalator — over and over and over again. captured the hilarious scene outside the Fashion Show Mall as folks took turns riding a set of escalators throughout the race, sneaking glimpses of the action as F1 cars roared past. The escalator’s elevated position overlooks one of the 50-lap spectacle’s most exciting turns, providing a better view than many paid seats at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit. Fans could be seen lining up politely, snapping photos and recording videos as they looped up and down the moving staircase. Security was stationed at the top and bottom of the escalators, but as long as fans kept moving, they weren’t technically breaking any rules. And so, hundreds took advantage of the unconventional setup. Mercedes driver George Russell took first place in the third-last race of the F1 season, with Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz rounding out the podium. But with the average Grand Prix ticket costing $1,617, the escalator riders were arguably the night’s biggest winners. Here’s hoping organizers don’t block off the moving attraction next year.US rejects bid to rethink new automobile automatic emergency braking rulesA mother has asked for opinions on whether or not she should have to pay for her mother-in-law’s phone after it was broken by her child. In a recent Reddit post shared to the popular “Am I The A**hole?” subreddit , the mother explains that her mother-in-law was babysitting her toddler when she decided to give the child her phone to watch YouTube videos. “Our LO decided she was done and threw the phone from her high chair, cracking the screen badly. Now, we absolutely do not do this. Our LO gets maybe two hours of screen time a week, and it’s always on the TV, never a phone,” the Reddit post read. The mother then clarified that her mother-in-law has more money than she and her husband do, so paying for the added expense of a new phone would affect any Christmas gifts purchased for her family. “My MIL told my partner that we must pay to repair her phone screen as our daughter broke it. I argued 3 points,” she wrote. “We were not present at the time. We were not the ones supervising the LO and shouldn’t be accountable.” “My MIL decided to give our child the phone. It was not suggested by us, and as mentioned is not something we ever do ourselves, my MIL knows this,” the second point of the argument read. The third point of the argument was, “The cost of the repair is a significant amount of money to us, but not to her. Our combined income is less than half her solo income.” It was suggested that her mother-in-law buy herself the new phone as the couple pay her back in installments, but she refused to agree claiming that it was “their issue to figure out.” “Personally, I also don’t agree with us paying her back, the phone was broken due to her own negligence,” the post ended before the mother asked for other opinions. After posting, many people turned to the comments section to defend her decision not to pay her mother-in-law for the phone, claiming that an expensive piece of technology should not have been given to a toddler in the first place. “The person supervising the child and/or the person who gave a valuable piece of electronic equipment (that was never intended for use by a small child) is 100 percent responsible for the damage,” one comment began. “Oh look! It was your MIL who irresponsibly gave her phone to a small child. There’s the responsible/guilty party right there... It seems like your MIL might need to take a babysitting course because her decision-making is questionable, and I would have to ask what else she plans on allowing your child to play with next: a lighter perhaps? Or a steak knife? Maybe some small magnets??” Another commenter agreed, writing, “She knowingly caused the situation with her poor choices. She handed the phone to your child. She should have to deal with the natural expectable consequences. You may be best served by paying for the repair so you don’t have to hear about it at every family gathering for the rest of your lives.” “However, I would make it clear to MIL that while you appreciate her help, she can no longer babysit until your child is much older because you can’t afford the expenses caused by her choices.”
I recently listened to an archive clip on the radio that consisted primarily of people whingeing about the railways. Amongst the biggest complaints was about dirty trains and u reliability of services and there was widespread hope that things were about to get better. It all sounds familiar but the clip was from 1961 and came as the nationalised UK rail network was about to make the momentous move from steam to diesel. Fast forward more than 60 years and things haven’t really changed that much, apart from no-one today will moan about the problem of soot making the stations dirty. British Rail had many good points, not least the fine dining carriages, but in the end it became a national joke. But it appears the Labour Government has no recollection of BR’s faults as it embarks on the renationalising of the network. Read More: Is the human cost of Net Zero drive really worth it? Even the name - Great British Railways - harks back to a glorious bygone age that many argue didn’t actually exist. Regardless, it is happening but will it make a difference? History tells us it won’t and will almost certainly make things worse. Scotrail, of course, was nationalised in 2022 but you’ll be hard pressed to find a passenger who will say with a straight face that things have improved. Under Labour’s plan, three rail operators will be taken into state control next year, but the move is not expected to bring down fares for passengers travelling on these lines. UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she recognised that “affordability is really important to people” but that people were “willing to pay for a good service”. Of course they will but there is no guarantee they will get one. Read More: One Day plaque row is battle between conservation over evolution South Western Railway will be renationalised in May 2025, C2C in July 2025, and Greater Anglia in autumn 2025, after Labour passed a law allowing it to do so. But some have criticised the plans, arguing that public ownership will not make much difference unless it is paired with fresh investment in the railways. And therein lies the rub - can the taxpayer seriously be expected to fund new rolling stock and other investments that private companies currently do to the tune of billions of pounds? In short, no, which means the whole exercise is pretty futile. Presently, shiny new trains rattle up and down the country making rail travel vastly superior to what it once was. But what happens when they all need replaced? They’re not cheap and politicians keep telling us they’re skint so where will the money come from? Almost certainly from higher fares which folk will be happy to pay if the service matched the ticket price which it almost never does. Under the existing system, Britain’s railway lines are run by train operating companies as franchises for a fixed length of time. The Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024, which has passed Westminster, allows the government to act on its manifesto promise to take rail contracts back into public ownership in five years as each private franchise runs out. The government also plans to set up a new arms-length body, the elaborately-titled Great British Railways (GBR), which will take over service contracts currently held by private firms as they expire in the coming years. Read More: How can CalMac run ferry services without any ships It wants GBR to take over responsibility for maintaining and improving rail infrastructure from Network Rail eventually. This moves comes as rail fares are due to rise by 4.6% from March as set out in the recent UK Budget, a figure that the transport secretary repeated when asked if tickets will get cheaper with public ownership. She described this as “the lowest absolute increase for the last three years”. Ms Alexander added that it while people may be willing to pay more for a “really good” service, including at evenings and weekends, performance had to improve. The transport department said that renationalisation would improve reliability, boost economic growth, and save £150m per year in fees. However, Rail Partners, which represents private train firms, said Labour has “parked the big decisions” on how to fix the railways. Responsibility for running train services was handed to private companies during the 1990s, and since then there has been a boom in rail usage. This year alone, passengers numbers have increased by 23% and 1.4bn passengers now use the railways annually. Some franchises have undoubtedly been a success, while many others less so. A few have been downright dreadful and have deservedly been stripped of their roles early. It is hard to conclude that nationalisation is less about passengers and more about ideology which is always a dangerous track to go down. As if to illustrate this, when Humza Yousaf (remember him)? announced the Dutch firm Abellio was being stripped of the franchise and Scotrail be nationalised, the top management was kept on. Read More: Sabbath isn't for everyone so Tesco should open on Sunday If, as the then Transport Secretary, claimed, Abellio was worse than useless, then the failing management would have been binned along with the franchise. Unions also like a nationalised industry as they know elected ministers are more likely to cave in to demands than a private company is. Let’s hope that nationalisation is a roaring success and passenger numbers keep rising As everyone would be a winner. This could be the age of the train after all.Lauren Boebert joins Cameo, charging $250+ for personalized video messagesCardinals' feel-good month comes to a screeching halt after a head-scratching loss to Seahawks
Musk’s efficiency commission is already overreachingTerrazzo Flooring Market Driven by Demand for Immersive Technologies Across IndustriesCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Dominic Zvada kicked a 21-yard field goal with 45 seconds left and Michigan stunned No. 2 Ohio State 13-10 on Saturday, likely ending the Buckeyes ’ hopes of returning to the Big Ten title game. Late in the game, Kalel Mullings broke away for a 27-yard run, setting up the Wolverines (7-5, 5-4) at Ohio State’s 17-yard line with two minutes remaining. The drive stalled at the 3, and Zvada came on for the chip shot. Ohio State (10-2, 7-2, No. 2 CFP) got the ball back but couldn’t move it, with Will Howard throwing incomplete on fourth down to seal the Wolverines’ fourth straight win over their bitter rival. This loss might have been the toughest of those four for Ohio State because the Wolverines were unranked and were wrapping up a disappointing season. The Buckeyes were supposed to win, but records rarely mean much when these two teams meet. Ohio State needs No. 4 Penn State and No. 10 Indiana to lose later Saturday in order to make it into the Big Ten title game next week. No. 7 TENNESSEE 36, VANDERBILT 23 NASH.VILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Nico Iamaleava threw for 257 yards and four touchdowns rallying No. 7 Tennessee from a 14-point deficit within the first five minutes to rout in-state rival Vanderbilt. The Volunteers (10-2, 6-2 Southeastern Conference; No. 8 CFP) needed a big victory to impress the College Football Playoff committee enough to earn a home playoff game in December. They beat Vanderbilt (6-6, 3-5) for a sixth straight season. Better yet, they rebounded from a nightmare start giving up the first 14 points by scoring 29 straight points. They led 24-17 at halftime on Iamaleava’s first three TD passes. Junior Sherrill returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown for Vanderbilt to stun a mostly orange crowd. Dylan Sampson fumbled on the Vols’ second play from scrimmage, and Sedrick Alexanader’s 4-yard TD run on a 26-yard drive put Vandy up 14-0 quickly. No. 16 SOUTH CAROLINA 17, No. 12 CLEMSON 14 CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — LaNorris Sellers’ 20-yard touchdown run with 1:08 to play gave No. 16 South Carolina its sixth straight win, a victory over 12th-ranked Clemson. Sellers, a freshman in his first season as starter, finished with 166 yards rushing and two scores as the Gamecocks (9-3, 4-1 SEC, No. 15 CFP) continued a run that has seen them defeat four ranked opponents this month. Clemson (9-3, 5-2 ACC, No. 12) drove to the South Carolina 18 with 16 seconds left — well within reach of a tying field goal — when Cade Klubnik was intercepted by Demetrius Knight Jr. The Gamecocks, who were 3-3 after losing at Alabama in mid-October, have given the College Football Playoff selection committee plenty to consider with their second-half charge. Much of the credit goes to the maturing Sellers, who has played with poise under most circumstances. He shook off an early fumble and a late interception in this one as South Carolina won its second straight at rival Clemson. No. 22 ILLINOIS 38, NORTHWESTERN 28 CHICAGO (AP) — Aidan Laughery rushed for three touchdowns and No. 22 Illinois topped Northwestern to reach nine victories for the first time since its 2007 Rose Bowl season. Pat Bryant dashed in to score off Luke Altmyer’s 43-yard pass early in the third quarter as Illinois (9-3, 6-3 Big Ten) struck for touchdowns just over 4 minutes apart early in the third quarter to open a 28-10 lead in what had been a tight game. Altmyer, who threw for 170 yards, had a TD himself on a keeper from the 1-yard line early in the second quarter. David Olano added a field goal in the fourth to cap Illinois’ scoring. Laughery, a sophomore running back, rushed for a career-best 172 yards and topped 100 for the first time. He entered with only one TD this season and two for his career. He had a career-long 64-yard run for a score early in the second half. Northwestern’s Devin Turner intercepted Altmyer twice, including for a 13-yard touchdown return late in the first quarter. Thomas Gordon caught Jack Lausch’s 15-yard TD pass with a minute left, then the Wildcats added a two-point conversion to complete the scoring. No. 25 ARMY 29, UTSA 24 WEST POINT, N.Y. (AP) — Bryson Daily tied the American Athletic Conference record for single-season touchdowns and threw for a season-high 190 yards and a score to lift No. 25 Army to a 29-24 win over UTSA. Army (10-1) finished the regular season 8-0 in the AAC and earned the right to host the championship game on Friday. Daily rushed for 147 yards, his academy-record ninth straight 100-yard game, and two touchdowns. Casey Larkin sealed Army’s 10th victory of the season, picking off Owen McCown at the Black Knights’ 10 with 1:14 left. Daily scored his conference-tying 25th rushing touchdown, a 42-yard run on the second play following Matteson’s pick with 10:26 remaining in the game Army finished its regular-season home schedule with a perfect 6-0 record. UTSA fell to 0-6 away from the Alamodome.